lauth



(No Model.)

JJN. LA-UTH. METHOD OF TREATING GAR AXLES.

N0. 505,405. Patented Sept. 19, 189B.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. LAUTI-I, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMESGREEN OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF TREATlNGICAR-AXLES.

iPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,405, datedSeptember 19, 1893.

Application filed January 12, 1892- Serial No. 417,839. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN N. LAUTH, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new-and useful Improvement inMethods of Treating Car-Axles, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification.

Oar axles are made by placing them upon an anvil, beneath a heavyhammer, by which they are pounded into shape while hot. During thehammering process, the axles become surface chilled, or what is calledhammer hardened, and it has been the practice to place the axles, asthey come from the hammer, upon a table where they are allowed to cool0%, out of contact with each other.

When put in use it has been found that the hammer chilling of the axlessometimes causes them to snap or break, and I have discovered that bypiling the axles together, as they come from the hammer, their outersurfaces will be annealed, the heat of the interior ones of the bunch orpile passing off by conduction or radiation, through the surroundingones, the cooling of the axles thereby being rendered more gradual,without the use of special apparatus, and without the use of extramanipulation. My invention, therefore, relates to a method of annealingcar axles, and consists in features of novelty pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings Ihaveshown three ways, either one of which,among others, might be followed in carrying out my method, and bydescribing these drawings my method will be fully disclosed.

Figure I is a side elevation of a number of car axles piled together;and Fig. II is an end view of same. Fig. III shows a number of axlesinclosed by a hood, which is shown in section; and Fig. IV shows a bunchof axles inclosed by a box.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the car axles. These may ei herbe bunched, as shown in Figs. I and II, without any covering, and inthis case the annealing effect is produced by the heat of the interiorones passing off by conduction, or radiation through the surroundingones. I have found this method quite desirable and effective, but ifpreferred, the axles may be inclosed bya hood 2, as shown in Fig. III,or may be placed in a box 3, as shown in Fig. IV. In neither case,however, is any heat required other than that contained in the axles, asthey come from the hammer, so that the expense of carrying out my methodis practically nominal, while practice has demonstrated that the qualityof the axles is greatly improved.

I claim as my invention The process of treating and annealing car axlesherein described, which consists in first heating them, next shapingthem by swag'ing or hammering in customary manner and then bunching themtogether in close contact whereby the heat contained in theinner axlesis slowly radiated through the surrounding axles with which they are incontact and the whole are cooled gradually and annealed and the hammerchill of the surfaces is eliminated, all as herein explained.

JOHN N. LAUTH.

In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT,

A. M. EBERSOLE.

